This study was produced with funding from the UK Department for International Development (DFID) as part of the project development phase for Scaling Up Resilience for Over One Million people in the Niger River Basin of Niger, Burkina Faso, and Mali (SUR1M), one of 10 projects across the Sahel Region for which a Concept Note has been approved by the DFID-funded Building Resilience and Adaptation to Climate Extremes and Disasters (BRACED) Programme. The SUR1M consortium is led by Catholic Relief Services, and brings together CAFOD (Catholic Agency for Overseas Development), Caritas Développement (CADEV) Niger, Catholic Organisation for Development and Solidarity (Organisation Catholique pour le Développement et la Solidarité) OCADES Burkina Faso, Caritas Mali, Farm Radio International (FRI), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Agrometeorology, Hydrology, Meteorology (AGRHYMET) Regional Centre, Research Programme on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS), and Tulane University. The opinions expressed in this paper are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of CRS, DFID, or any other organizations mentioned herein. Cover photograph: Women construct a raised earthen berm to help reduce water runoff and soil erosion in Burkina Faso. Strategies such as this can help mitigate the impacts of heavy rainfall in areas suffering the effects of climate change. 26 April 2012 Photographer: Amidou Traore, CRS